Thursday, February 28, 2013

I wish I could take pictures with my eyes just by blinking.
Maybe it's something you will be able to do with Google Glass.
But guess what Google, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy sort of beat you to it by 18 years.

After having mastered (I'd like to think that I have) photography with:
a DSLR - it makes even bad pictures look great with it's depth-of-field-blurry look.
a regular Point and Shoot - for days when my bag is too small to fit any other camera.
a Lomo - so I can blame all my wonky pictures on the lens.

I'm currently, trying to master iPhone photography.
I am obsessed with instagram and almost love it as much as I love writing my blog.
But, now it's time to move on. To a more advanced level and learn some cool new tricks.
So, I've enrolled in the Photojojo University for Phoneography 101.

It's 2 lessons per week for a month.
With tips and tricks and fun challenges!
Only for $5.

I can't wait for my first lesson tomorrow.
I'm all charged and ready to go click click click.

So here's to me becoming an amazing phone photographer.
Yes, I actually did just say that.

Now I'm going to stop being Ms. Preachy Preacherson because I have a beautiful evening ahead of me. With an old black & white romantic movie on a terrace with what I'm hoping will be great food and some stargazing.

* In the Mahabharata, during the Samudra Manthan, Amrit (the nectar of immortality) emerged from the Milky Ocean. Lord Vishnu took the incarnation of Mohini, the enchantress and served this nectar only to the Gods. Swarbhanu (a demon) disguised himself as a God and tried to get some of this precious Amrit. When Surya (the Sun God) and Chandra (the Moon God) noticed this, they told Mohini who then took the original form of Lord Vishnu once again. He then threw his Sudarshan Chakra (divine discus) at Swarbhanu (the demon) and this separated his head (Rahu) from his body (Ketu). When Rahu fell to the ground there were drops of blood that fell to the earth from which emerged plants of garlic and onion.

But when you sing ridiculous lyrics, make a low budget looking video, wear clothes that make your waist look so freakishly thin that you'd give Dita Von Teese a complex, and do a very Yo dance interspersed with Namastes+desi-girl-moves and tribal-capoeira-like pieces in between, do you really want us to take you seriously?

And Will-i-Am is singing lyrics like - Coming out inside my car.

What?!?

I'm sorry Priyanka, but we stopped taking you seriously when you got Daddy's lil girl tattooed on your wrist.

But, I don't know if I believe in all the stories about our 330 million Hindu Gods.

While some have the face of an animal as can be seen with Ganesh, others are seen with skin colours like blue*.

Or is that just the artists interpretation of the God?

The artists from the Rennaisance period drew Jesus a certain way and that's how we see him today.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that thats exactly how he looked.

Whether I believe it or not, I still love reading all the stories about the Gods. And their incarnations.

And so I'm currently reading children's books written by Gauri Kelkar about Hindu Goddesses. Being children's books, they are very easy to read and have beautiful illustrations. And they also have fun things like stickers at the back.
Also it's quite interesting to see how the Gods and Goddesses who are usually seen together reunite as a couple in every incarnation.
True love!

I suppose I should just enjoy the books for the stories and look at it with an open mind.

After all they are Gods. So why expect them to have human-like qualities like us?

According to my mother, I have always been a tad bit rebellious especially while accepting traditions and beliefs relating to God.

But I know there have been those few moments in my life when I have felt his presence.

- In times of need.

- When I've been fortunate enough to have more happiness than I could expect.

- Or even when I'm working and being creative.

Someone told me that everything already exists in this world.

Nothing is actually invented or created.

But when you open your mind to it, you see it.

For a moment there I thought then what am I doing as a creative person?

But then I realised that that's sort of how I feel when I work and come up with new ideas.

Somehow they never feel like mine.

But more like God dropped a bag of ideas in my head.

And it usually happens during that time when I'm not asleep and not really awake either.

It feels like there's a blackhole in my mind through which ideas just fall through with ease.

*Blue is the skin colour of Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna and Lord Ram. But for different reasons.Ram and Krishna are shown to have blue skin as blue depicts their dusky skin tone. Some say this colour also stands for great spiritual attainment as according to Indian spiritual tradition blue is the colour of superconciousness.Lord Shiva on the other hand was also shown to have blue skin. In the Mahabharata, during the Samudra Manthan, along with the Amrit and the 14 Ratnas, a poison emerged that was so powerful that it could have destroyed all of creation. Lord Shiva on the advice of Lord Vishnu inhaled the poison and on doing so his neck turned blue. This is why Lord Shiva is also known as Nilakantha (the blue throated one).